Steal My Clothes, Not My Girlfriend
by idoodle
Summary: Challenge. Spashley. Spyla.
1. Chapter 1

_Spashley for me is the EndGame, but I wouldn't mind some Spyla action, or even some Madison/Spencer action for sure...Or hell, why not make Ashley nuts by having both Kyla and Madison after Spencer, while Ashley fumes jealously in the background. _

_Spencer can already be (exclusively/nonexclusively) dating Ashley, or she could be single with Ashley deeply interested - any type of relationship where Ashley is going to be fuming with jealousy is what we're looking for - anyway, and along come Kyla and Madison both interested in Miss. Carlin._

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**Note 1:** If anyone's reading my story 'Complicated,' I want to inform you that I'm taking a small break. I needed a little change, which is why I decided to try this story out. For this one, I, basically, took the idea above, which was brought up as a challenge from somone on the Spashley board, and played around with it. It follows the show through season 2, episode 11 (_Love, Child, and Videotape_). The last two episodes - forget 'em, didn't happen. I'm writing my own version of the season 2 ending, which includes a Spyla twist (I got permission to not include Madison).

**Note 2:** Length. Initially, I wanted this to be a short, two-shot piece, but it's going to be a little longer than that. How much longer? Not sure yet. I'm currently in the process of fleshing out my original two-shot idea (it felt rushed, to me), and the full length has yet to be determined. So, I guess, just expect more than two parts and less than, say, ten.

**Disclaimer:** The-N owns the characters.

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**Steal My Clothes, Not My Girlfriend**

01:

The fifteen-minute car ride was filled with nothing but the soft purr of the engine. No music, no discussion. Just silence. The blond in the passenger seat unlatched the belt strapped across her torso and listened to the zipping sound it made as it was fed back into its holder. After fiddling with her purse, she lifted her head and eyed the young man sitting behind the wheel, taking in his tired, dark eyes, the worry lines along his forehead, and the frown that hadn't disappeared from his lips in weeks. "Tell Chelsea I said hi."

The corners of Clay's lips twitched, trying to lift into a smile, but failed to complete the simple action and formed a thin line instead. "Will do."

Spencer wrapped her hand around the doorhandle and, with one last, quick glance at her brother, said, "Thanks for the ride."

She kept her gaze low, examining the scuff marks on her red converse sneakers, while strolling along the stone pathway that led to the front of her girlfriend's house.

Clay and Chelsea. Her brother and her best friend. This amazing couple, who willingly stuck by her and offered her their support when she needed it most, was going through this huge, life-altering situation, and what was she doing? Nothing. Standing on the sidelines, feeling helpless. What else could she do?

Pushing that thought aside for now, she stepped up to the front of the large house and raised a hand to ring the doorbell. She stood back, head cocked to one side, hands buried in her back jean pockets. Hours before, during her Sunday morning service, Ashley sent her a text, telling her to drop by after church. With no explanation needed, she was here, prepared for whatever her girlfriend had planned.

The door opened and Kyla hopped out. She greeted the small brunette with a bright smile. "Hey, I'm here to see--"

"Wait, let me guess," Kyla interrupted, teasingly. She lightly tapped a finger against her chin. "Me?" A flicker of excitement appeared on her face, then quickly disappeared, replaced by a frowny-smile. "No, probably not, huh?"

"Actually," the blond said, removing the purse over her shoulder, "I do have something to give you." She unzipped the bag and took out a clear-purple cd case. Before handing it over, she explained what it was, "I know that you, um, lost yours, so I burned my copy of Breakaway for you."

Kyla's lips stretched into a huge smile. "Aw, you didn't have to do that, Spencer." She held the cd against her chest as if she were hugging it. "Thank you."

"Making that took, like, two minutes, tops. It was no big chore."

"Maybe not, but I almost went crazy without this record. You're saving me. Seriously. I've been waking up at different times during the night in a cold sweat, and before you got here, I was in my room rocking myself back and forth." She held up her gift, gazing at the cd through the clear plastic cover. "And now, thanks to you, I can finally have the fix I've been craving for."

"Kelly withdrawals?" the blond guessed, deciding to play along. "Sounds rough."

"Yes. It's horrible." Kyla balled up a fist and shook it at the cd. "Damn you, Kelly Clarkson. Damn you and your music for being so addicting!"

Spencer laughed, "You're such a goof."

"Sorry, it's the caffeine. I've had, like, eight cups of coffee this morning."

"Replacing one addiction with another?"

"Something like that." The brunette held her hand out in front of her. "Look how jittery I am. I swear, if I consume any more coffee I could tear this house down and rebuild it myself. Well, maybe not the whole house because, hello, it's ginormous. But I'd probably be able to pull off, like, a wing or something."

"Really? Little ol' you can reconstruct an entire wing of this house?"

"Hey, I may be small, but I'm strong. Freakishly strong. Need proof? I arm wrestled Mr. My-Guns-Are-My-Greatest-Achievement, and won."

"Who is – oh, Aiden. Well, that is impressive."

"Eh, not so much, he's kind of a wimp." Kyla smiled briefly, then realized that she had rudely kept Spencer out on the doorstep during this whole exchange, instead of inviting her in. "Ah, I'm sorry! Where are my manners? Come in, come in." She backed up against the front door, pushing it open wider to allow Spencer entrance into the house. "Ashley's in..." She stopped abruptly, mid-sentence. "Wait, no she's not. She's gone."

Spencer turned away from the door, letting it close softly behind her. "Gone? Where did she go?"

"I'm never in-the-know when it comes to Ashley Davies' whereabouts," Kyla stated, with an eye roll. "She just, y'know, took off." Managing an uncomfortable smile, she added, "With Aiden."

"Aiden." Spencer's gaze fell to the large, thick rug placed perfectly in the center of the foyer. Ditched. Ashley had ditched her to hang out with Aiden. _Aiden_ – he was always there, forcing himself into the picture, getting in the way. Why couldn't he just disappear?

"Yeah..." Kyla began to awkwardly wring her hands together. "Did you two have plans?"

"I thought we did. She sent me a text earlier this morning that said she wanted me to come over..."

"Maybe she called, left you a message."

Spencer opened her purse and pulled out her cell phone. "No messages, no missed calls. I guess she forgot." She tried to cover up her disappointment with a stiff smile and a half-shrug. "Whatever." Holding up her phone, she scrolled through her contact list. "I'm just gonna call my mom; have her come, pick me up."

"Hey, you don't have to leave. We could hang out. I mean, if you want," Kyla offered the blond with a friendly smile. "I'm not as fun as Ashley, but – wait, what am I saying? I'm funner." She paused, thinking that word sounded a little funny. "Funner. Funner? Is that a word?"

A smile crept its way onto Spencer's mouth. "I... don't know, actually. But, my guess is no."

"It is today." Kyla reached forward and grabbed Spencer by the wrist. "C'mon, upstairs we go."

----

Spencer removed her sneakers and climbed up onto the bed, settling at the foot, in an Indian style sitting position. Kyla was standing by the stereo, putting in her new copy of _Breakaway_. "Hey Spence, do you mind if I skip ahead and listen to track six first?"

"Addicted? Um, hell no." Spencer grinned, "That's my favorite."

Kyla thumbed the skip button on the remote a few times until the number six showed up on the stereo display screen. With a smile, she twirled around, facing the blond, "You know, Miss Carlin, every time we're together, I discover something new that we have in common."

"I've noticed that, too."

Kyla moved toward the bed. "It's nice having someone here that I get along with so well." She plopped down on the mattress and pulled a pillow onto her lap. With an index finger, she lightly traced one of the stripes that ran across the pillowcase. "I'm going to confess something right now that will probably come off a little... weird, but..." she trailed off, trying to shake the embarrassment she was suddenly feeling, because, well, it was silly. "You make being away from my friends and family back in Baltimore easier, somehow."

"Me? What about Ashley?"

"I don't know anyone back home who's like Ashley. She's her own species or something," Kyla joked lightly, causing the blond to smile. "But you... our similarities aside, you remind me so much of my best friend, Chloe." Her smile and eyes brightened. "You're, like, my piece of home, here in L.A."

Spencer felt her face warm, and ducked her head to hide the blush.

"See? I knew it. That was too weird. I'm sorry. Forget I said all of that," Kyla rambled, holding up the remote to fiddle with the volume control. "I love the chorus on this song."

"Hey," Spencer said, putting her hand on top of Kyla's, managing to ease it down to the mattress before the volume was raised. "None of what you said was weird. It was, it was sweet."

"Sweet?"

"Yeah, sweet."

"That's good, right?"

"Is 'sweet' ever bad?" Spencer lifted her hand from Kyla's and placed it in her lap.

"It could be. Like, when you tell someone that you really, really like them and their response is 'that's sweet' or 'you're a sweet person, but' – then 'sweet' would be bad. But, hey, that's so not what's going on here." Kyla grinned, playfully. "Spencer, I will accept your sweet comment."

"Are you sure? I can rack my brain for another adjective that will more appropriately suit you, if you want?" the blond teased. "It wouldn't take long."

"No, no, sweet's good. Used in this context, anyway."

The conversation turned to the cd they were listening to, which then turned to other music and artists that they shared an interest in. Halfway through their second listen to the album, Spencer asked, "How are you and Aiden doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't you two get back together this week?"

"Um... not that I'm aware of."

"Oh, I thought..." Spencer shook her head. "You guys have been hanging out a lot these last few days, and I guess I thought it was leading to something more."

Kyla fell back against the headboard. "No, we've just been hanging out – as friends." She dropped her gaze and fingered the quilt draped across her bed. "And after this morning, I can safely say, it's not going to go any further than that."

"What happened this morning?"

"I told him I didn't want to get involved again."

"Why?" After a beat, Spencer's face scrunched up. "I'm sorry, that's none of my business."

"Hey, no, it's okay. I, I don't mind," Kyla assured the blond, with a lighthearted shrug. "I only want a friendship with him because the attraction, the feelings I had, or thought I had, whatever – it's all gone. Like, I have no desire, whatsoever, to be with him. Ever again."

"Feelings change, I get that."

The smaller teen sighed and scooted to the side of the bed, stopping at the edge. "I just, I want to be with someone who wants me, puts me first. Not someone who wishes I was someone else, you know?"

Spencer's brain quietly processed Kyla's words. She lifted her head and eyed her friend, who was now up from the bed and over by the dresser, carefully unwrapping a lollipop. "Aiden wishes you were someone else?"

Kyla's head popped up, and the realization of what she had just said hit her. "That, um, that's not what I said." She stuck the lollipop in her mouth and rolled it around on her tongue. "Do you like old western films?" Deny the statement, then quickly change the subject. It worked on her mom all the time.

"What? No." Spencer untangled her limbs and flung them over the side of the bed. Standing, she inched forward, closing in on the brunette. "Stop with the avoidy act." She folded her arms over her chest. "Tell me, who does Aiden wish you were?"

Kyla was backed into a corner, figuratively and literally.

"Who?"

"Madison?"

"Nice try, but unconvincing." Spencer's features softened. "It's Ashley, isn't it?"

Kyla didn't respond. She didn't have to, really. Spencer knew she had guessed correctly.

----


	2. Chapter 2

**Note:** Last week I decided to add another character to focus on. This story was only going to include Spencer, Ashley, and Kyla, but now I'm tossing Aiden into the mix, giving him a bigger part. I've been trying to figure him out since, so, blame him for the longer delay. Oh, and a big thank you goes out to everyone who left a comment on the first chapter. I really love reading what you all have to say!

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02:

Aiden swam to the side of pool and, with his arms, lifted himself up. Water trickled down his hard body as he padded over to retrieve the towel waiting for him on his lounge chair. Ashley was lying on her stomach on the neighboring lounge, wearing a tiny two-piece bathing suit. He stood there, dripping wet, hair slicked back, towel hanging limply from his hand, wanting nothing more than to sneak up to the girl and trail soft kisses along her back, shoulders, neck.

Squaring his jaw, he lifted the towel and pressed it against his face, breathing into the thick cotton as he desperately tried to force away all thoughts of Ashley, knowing they weren't healthy. Or right. But, it was hopeless. She was always there, in his thoughts. She had taken up residence inside his head months ago, and there was no sign of an eviction in sight.

Ashley Davies. He had been there, done that. And moved on. Right? Wrong. Apparently, the 'moving on' period wasn't quite that permanent. There was a brief moment in time, back when they weren't hanging out and he was dating Madison, where he had convinced himself that he was over Ashley. Then, shortly after Spencer showed up, he was thrust back into her life. At first, he wasn't sure what his purpose was; he felt like a pawn in her little game. She'd use him, then discard him. And, surprisingly, or not so surprisingly, he was cool with that. However, things started to shift, his role changed... and changed. And changed. He was her soundboard, advice giver, protector, rescuer, support system, best friend, _family_. She depended on him, needed him. Being needed – hell, just being back in her presence was something he had missed. And, before he even realized it, the feelings he once had, which he assumed were dead and buried, were resurrected. Once again, he was in love with Ashley Davies. But he had no chance in hell this time around, because she, too, was in love. With Spencer Carlin.

Aiden lowered the towel and brushed it over his chest, drying the remaining wetness from his skin. Like a moth to a flame, his eyes zeroed in on the body in front of him and explored every inch that was on display. Tan legs, perfectly shaped ass (which he couldn't help but linger on), sexy tattoo, slim waist, smooth back--

"You're blocking my sun."

Startled, he jerked his head up and eyed the brunette's face, making sure she hadn't caught his obvious ogling. Ashley hadn't moved; her eyes were still closed and her face was relaxed. He released the breath of air he had been holding and felt the little coil of tension in his gut ease. "_Your_ sun?" he said, still a little shaken. "I knew you were wealthy, but I didn't know you were 'owner of the sun' wealthy."

Ashley pushed up on her elbows and lowered her sunglasses to the edge of her nose. "Okay, that was just lame," she said, with a hint of a smile. She flipped over onto her back and pulled her hair free from its loose ponytail before putting it up in a tighter one.

"Yeah, sorry. Lame jokes are my specialty." As discreetly as possible, Aiden allowed his gaze to skim over the newly exposed side of the dark-haired girl, and mentally decided that he preferred the frontal view over the rear. He casually flung the towel around his neck and latched onto the ends hanging loosely against his chest. "So, uh, prom's coming up. Are you and Spencer going?"

"Probably." Ashley reached for the bottle of water sitting on the table beside her chair. "We haven't discussed it, but I have a feeling she wants to go. She's really into all of that shit, you know?"

Aiden nodded, completely enthralled by the sight of Ashley taking slow sips from her water bottle. The familiar stirring of arousal in his belly made him turn away. Quickly getting control over himself, he wobbled over to his chair and fell into it with a huff.

"What about you, are you gonna ask Kyla to prom?"

"I doubt it. She kicked me to the curb a couple hours ago, remember?"

"I know, I was there. But, she has no one else to go with. And, well, neither do you."

"I don't think it'll be hard for me to find a date. I mean, have you seen me?" he joked, with a thumb pressed against his bare chest, pointing at himself. "I'm a hottie; I could have any girl I want."

"Not this girl," Ashley added, smoothly.

"I've had you."

"Oh, right." Ashley repositioned the sunglasses on her face and laid her head back against the chair. "I've tried to forget that period of my life."

"You mean, when you were dating me?"

"The period of my life when I considered guys an option." She smirked, glancing at the boy out of the corner of her eye, "So, yeah, you're included."

Aiden mulled over the brunette's reply. He knew it was meant to be taken as a joke, but a small part of him felt like there was some truth to it. "Did you ever love me? Was our relationship ever real to you?"

Ashley's silly, teasing expression faded and, with the help of the dark shades covering her eyes, her face became unreadable. "What the hell kind of question is that?"

"I, I don't know. I just, I wonder, okay? You always joke about it, as if it meant nothing to you." Aiden sat up, swinging his legs on either side of the chair, straddling it. "I get that you're into girls now, but what we had, what we shared – it meant something. To me, at least. You were important to me, Ash. You were special. You were the first girl – you're the _only_ girl I've been in love with." He swallowed, rubbing his sweaty palms on the towel still draped around his neck. "And I always thought that I had meant something to you, too, but lately... I don't know."

Minutes went by. Ashley sat in silence, lost in thought, roasting in the sticky California heat, while Aiden was waiting, hoping for a reaction. Just when he thought he wasn't going to get one, Ashley shot up from her chair and hastily began gathering her things together. "Hey, what are you doing? Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving," she answered, roughly pulling a denim skirt up her thighs and over the small bathing suit bottoms she wore. She made a grab for her t-shirt, but Aiden snatched it up before she was able to get a hold of it.

"You didn't answer any of my questions."

With her hands on her hips, Ashley glared up at the boy. "Yes, I did. You asked where I was going, and my reply was: 'I'm leaving'."

"I wasn't referring to that question," he said, still holding the t-shirt captive, hoping she wouldn't leave without it.

Ashley folded her arms, and looked away from the dark-haired boy. "So, you think, because I'm into girls now, that I was faking it the whole time we were together?"

In response, Aiden lifted his shoulders slightly in a half-shrug.

Ashley picked up her bag from the ground, tossed the water bottle inside, and zipped it up. She slipped into her flip-flops and moved around the lounge to stand in front of Aiden. "You're an idiot," she said, yanking the shirt free from his grasp.

After that, she put on the shirt and started making her way up to the house, but stopped halfway when Aiden spoke, "An idiot for believing you loved me?"

Ashley shouldered her bag and spun around, ripping the sunglasses from her face. "No, an idiot for entertaining the thought that I never did!" She lowered her head and took in a deep breath, relaxing a bit. "I meant every word I ever said to you. Our relationship was real. You were important and special to me, too." She flicked her gaze forward, landing on the boy standing several feet away. "And, yes, I loved you."

"The same way you love Spencer?"

"Don't do that, don't make me compare." She narrowed her eyes, "Why does it matter, anyway? We're over. Our story ended a long time ago."

"I don't know why, it just does."

Ashley was quiet for a moment, and when she raised her head, ready to speak again, Aiden steeled himself. "No."

"No?"

"No."

Aiden understood what that 'no' meant. "Is it better with her? Do you love her more?"

"I wouldn't say that. It's just... different."

"Different, how?"

"Stop, okay? Stop with the jealous, prying ex-boyfriend act. It's freaking me out. I answered all of your questions from before, so can we just shelve this conversation, now? Please?"

Aiden finally gave up, knowing he wasn't going to get much more out of the brunette. He slung the towel from around his neck and threw it down on the chair. Jogging lightly over to the pool, he stood on the edge and prepared for a dive. Barely making a splash, his body sliced through the water, and resurfaced a few seconds later, with his eyes closed, in the shallow end of the pool. "Marco!"

Rolling her eyes, Ashley dropped her bag and shimmied out of her skirt. As she reached for the hem of her t-shirt, she shouted, "Polo!"

--

_More Spyla in the next update, which WILL be posted in the upcoming week. Promise._


End file.
